


You, Always [one-shot]

by pinkeudodo



Category: VIXX
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:33:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25276228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinkeudodo/pseuds/pinkeudodo
Summary: Originally posted on another platform - 9 Jul 2020떠난 건 너 혼자였으니You were the one who left, alone그대로 돌아오면 돼So just come back the way you are
Relationships: Jung Taekwoon | Leo/Original Female Character(s)





	You, Always [one-shot]

“You did what?”

Choi Yeo-rin had her phone on speaker while her hand froze mid-action in applying mascara.

“I RSVP-ed for you,” the person on the other end spoke, “come on, every single year you find an excuse to not attend. It’s been 10 years. I think that’s long enough for what you’re running from.”

Yeo-rin sighed; it was never going to be “enough”.

“Besides, who’s to know? He might not even show up. You know I’ve been to every reunion since we started one, and he rarely attends.”

“I’ve to go to work. Bye.”

Yeo-rin ended the call before her friend could continue talking. Han Hye-jeong had been her first friend in high school. They lost contact when they went to different universities, but later reconnected on social media. So while Yeo-rin would consider Hye-jeong a good friend, she was a few steps shy from the “close friend” tag. Which also means Hye-jeong didn’t know Yeo-rin as well as she thought she did.

\----

The high school reunion that Yeo-rin had been dreading for the past 3 weeks finally arrived. She did consider going AWOL on Hye-jeong, but it was as if her friend had expected that. She showed up at Yeo-rin’s apartment and announced she left her car at home so they’d have to go together.

When they stepped into the restaurant, Yeo-rin’s eyes automatically scanned the whole table. They were a bunch of somewhat familiar faces indeed, and at the absence of a particular someone had her relaxing almost instantly.

“See? I told you he probably won’t show up,” Hye-jeong said in a low voice.

Yeo-rin nodded and let her friend lead her to the table where their other acquaintances were waiting.

“Look who I brought!” Hye-jeong announced their arrival.

“Choi Yeo-rin! What a surprise!”

She remembered this guy. Cha Hakyeon. He used to be a student leader and topped every exam.

“Hi guys,” Yeo-rin greeted, “I’m going to be honest; I don’t really remember everyone so…”

Laughter erupted around the table.

“It’s okay, we all started out this way. Just sit back and have fun!”

True to Hakyeon’s words and with the aid of everyone’s stories, it didn’t take long for Yeo-rin to get acquainted with all her ex-schoolmates again.

“Today must really be special,” Hakyeon suddenly said while looking at his phone, “we’re having all the rare attendees.”

“Isn’t everyone already here? Who else—”

The figure walking towards their table was more than enough for everything around Yeo-rin to drown into nothingness. The very reason she avoided all these reunion sessions. And his eyes were locked onto hers the moment he entered the restaurant.

“Yah! Jung Taekwoon!”

He was welcomed with hugs and handshakes from everyone except Yeo-rin and Hye-jeong.

“You okay?” Hye-jeong whispered.

Yeo-rin didn’t have a chance to answer, because Taekwoon turned his attention to her.

“Hi, Yeo-rin. It’s been a long time,” he held out his hand.

She probably stared at him longer than she should have, judging by the small smirk playing on his lips.

“Hi, Taekwoon,” she forced a small smile, but didn’t take his hand.

He shrugged it off and took a seat beside Hakyeon after giving him a brotherly hug. Yeo-rin didn’t remember them being such good friends. Hakyeon was a model student, and Taekwoon was…quite the opposite.

“Who would’ve thought we would see Jung Taekwoon and Choi Yeo-rin together in the same setting again?”

“Oh! That’s right! They were _the_ star couple!”

And that right there was exactly what Yeo-rin had been dreading since the day Hye-jeong informed her about the reunion. The reminder of their past status.

****

_Yeo-rin met Taekwoon in their final year, when they were assigned to the same class. For the first half of the year, they were merely classmates who knew of each other’s existence and nothing more. They never talked at all. Things took a turn when the seating arrangement was switched up after the mid-term exams, and they became seatmates._

_Taekwoon was a pretty popular kid back in school, with most of the girls harboring crushes on him. He would receive letters and gifts every single day. When the new seating arrangement was announced, Yeo-rin instantly became every girl’s enemy. Everywhere she went, most girls were always sending death glares her way. Yeo-rin ignored them, until some of the girls (who dared not talk to Taekwoon themselves) started approaching her to get her to relay messages or gifts to Taekwoon. She refused to, but those girls kept pestering her, so she finally confronted Taekwoon._

_He was taking a nap at his desk when she kicked his chair to wake him._

_“Yah, Jung Taekwoon. Do me a favor and go tell those silly fangirls of yours to stop pestering me for God’s sake!”_

_Taekwoon stretched lazily, accompanied with an obnoxious yawn, “what’s in it for me?”_

_“What?”_

_He stared at her, “if I “do you a favor”, what do I get in return?”_

_“What the hell?”_

_“No deal, then,” he rested his head on his arm again._

_“Jerk,” she muttered under her breath and kicked his chair again, before stomping out of the classroom._

_Except she was intercepted right at the door, by yet another one of Taekwoon’s admirers. Yeo-rin let out a frustrated sigh before the nervous looking girl could speak._

_“He’s in there. Give it to him yourself.”_

_“B-But…”_

_“I am not your personal courier service!”_

_Yeo-rin felt a presence behind her, then an arm slung around her, then someone rested their chin on her shoulder. And then Taekwoon’s voice sounded right by her ear._

_“Hey,” he spoke to the other girl, “if you have something for me, come find me yourself. Don’t bother our Rinnie anymore.”_

_Taken aback by his sudden action, it took Yeo-rin a moment before she came back to her senses and pushed the tall boy off her. His admirer stared at the both of them back and forth, until her eyes turned teary and she ran off without another word._

_“Now you owe me one,” Taekwoon chuckled._

_She spun around to face him, “what?”_

_“Well, I did you a favor,” he shrugged and sauntered out of the classroom, “and I get something in return. That was our deal, wasn’t it?”_

_“I didn’t even…Jung Taekwoon you idiot!” she yelled after him._

_It was since that day that rumors about Taekwoon and Yeo-rin dating began circulating; that, and some more ridiculous ones. Yeo-rin was thankful for having Hye-jeong to fend off any nuisances, but there was just one person her friend couldn’t get rid of._

_Not only did Taekwoon not bother to dispel the rumors, he even added fire to them by constantly being around her in and out of school. She ignored his presence to the best she could, but he never backed off. The final straw for Yeo-rin came when Taekwoon called out to her halfway across the field during lunch break, when most of the student body were out and about._

_“Oi! Rinnie! Yeo-rin! Choi Yeo-rin!”_

_Like always, she ignored him._

_“Choi Yeo-rin! Go on a date with me!”_

_Almost the entire field fell silent. Yeo-rin stopped dead in her tracks, turning to her friend with her eyes wide and mouth agape. Hye-jeong’s expression mirrored hers. When she recovered from the shock, she realized Taekwoon was heading towards her._

_“Jung Taekwoon you crazy jerk,” she muttered and aimed a particularly hard kick to his shin when he came within range._

_Yeo-rin sprinted away from the scene and headed towards the teachers’ room. Thankfully, their homeroom teacher was right where she hoped he would be._

_“Mr. Park…”_

_“Oh, Yeo-rin? What’s up?”_

_“May I request to change seats please?”_

_“Why? Did something happen?”_

_She obviously couldn’t tell him the real reason._

_“I…uh…I can’t see clearly from the back of the class, so…I’d like to move to the front…”_

_The teacher nodded, “okay, understood. Go pack your things first, I’ll come into class to do the switch once the bell rings.”_

_“Thank you, Mr. Park.”_

_Taekwoon wasn’t back in class even after the bell rang, but that was nothing unusual. Just as their teacher promised, she switched seats with a taller kid who was seated near the front. She had just settled in her new seat when Taekwoon returned._

_“Ah, and Taekwoon is finally back,” their homeroom teacher acknowledged his presence, “as I was telling the class, there’s a minor change in seat assignment at the request of Choi Yeo-rin.”_

_Yeo-rin could feel the burn of his gaze, but she refused to look at him. The rest of the day went by rather peacefully. Then came the last bell that signaled school was over. Hye-jeong had a family appointment to go to, so she left without Yeo-rin._

_“Choi Yeo-rin,” Taekwoon’s voice came from behind her._

_Yeo-rin thought he sounded different from usual, but she wasn’t interested in finding out the reason. She zipped up her bag and moved to exit the room._

_“Yah, Choi Yeo-rin!” Taekwoon grabbed her arm, his voice raised._

_That made whoever was still in the classroom to turn their attention to the both of them. She sighed and turned to face him._

_“What do you want, Taekwoon?”_

_He opened his mouth to say something, but hesitated. That was highly unusual, Yeo-rin thought. If she knew anything about Jung Taekwoon, it was that he never hesitated to say what he wanted to._

_“Do you dislike me that much?”_

_“Why did you do that?” she countered with her own question._

_He held her stare, but there was something different about how he looked at her._

_“Because I like you.”_

_Her gaze hardened and she flung his arm away, “I don’t have time for your jokes, Jung Taekwoon.”_

_Yeo-rin shoved him aside and stormed out of the room. She heard him calling after her and increased her pace, eventually breaking into a run._

_“Choi Yeo-rin!”_

_“Leave me alone!”_

_She hadn’t realized she was out of the school’s gates and was just one step away from running into oncoming traffic. And then she was suddenly yanked into someone’s firm chest._

_“What were you thinking?!” Taekwoon’s voice was laced with panic._

_“What…?” Yeo-rin barely managed to register her surroundings, for Taekwoon had her locked in his arms._

_“You idiot. You hate me, I get it. But that doesn’t mean you can go running onto the road!” the panic was still there in his voice, but another stronger emotion had taken over: worry._

_“I don’t—”_

_“I like you, Choi Yeo-rin. I don’t care if you keep pushing me away, I’ll just keep trying. It’s not a stupid joke. I really, really like you…”_

_Yeo-rin could feel Taekwoon’s heart hammering in their close proximity. He was being serious, she realized._

_“I don’t hate you, Taekwoon.”_

_His arms loosened around her, and when Yeo-rin’s eyes met his, she thought she would never forget the look in his eyes at that very moment. His barest emotions were exposed to her._

_“Then why…”_

_She stepped away from him, “I just don’t understand your actions. And I don’t…I don’t know how to react to what you’ve just said…I’m sorry.”_

_Yeo-rin avoided Taekwoon’s gaze as she left him standing there._

_Over the next few weeks, it was as if Taekwoon was a changed person. The teasing stopped, and instead, he waited for her at the gates every morning, he joined her and Hye-jeong at lunch (after gaining Yeo-rin’s permission), he made the effort to befriend Hye-jeong and tried to not act like the jerk he was previously, and he walked her home everyday. Yeo-rin had initially told him not to, but Taekwoon was too stubborn and persistent, so she stopped trying to discourage him. As the days passed, she found herself falling for Taekwoon, and she finally accepted his confession._

_Yeo-rin quickly learnt that Taekwoon was an extremely jealous boyfriend. He wouldn’t let any of their male schoolmates near her at all, not even for something as simple as exchanging greetings._

_“Taekwoon, I really don’t like what you’re doing,” she told him one day at lunch._

_He rolled his eyes, “I just don’t like seeing any guys flutter around you.”_

_“Says the guy who has girls fluttering around him all the time,” Hye-jeong muttered._

_“I didn’t ask for your opinion,” he glared at Hye-jeong._

_“She has a point, you know,” Yeo-rin agreed, “your army of fangirls aren’t backing off no matter what I say.”_

_“I’ll talk to—”_

_“No, Taekwoon. That’s not what I meant. All I’m saying is, I don’t tell you what to or not to do, isn’t it? Can’t you do the same for me? Please?”_

_“Believe me, Rin, I wish you would be more controlling over me.”_

_Yeo-rin melted inside at the nickname he had for her._

_She sighed, “you know I’m not like that, Taek…”_

_“I hate that I love it when you use that nickname on me,” he mumbled._

_Yeo-rin grinned and reached for his hand under the table, which he grabbed and intertwined their fingers. While Taekwoon became more relaxed about anybody of the opposite gender exchanging greetings with his girlfriend, he was still bent on not having any guys hover around her for more than 10 seconds. Seeing that she couldn’t convince him any further, Yeo-rin let Taekwoon have his way._

_Their relationship lasted all through the remaining days of high school, and well onto their first year in university. Despite being an hour away from Yeo-rin’s school, Taekwoon still made the effort to wait for her classes to end on days that his ended earlier, and then sending her home. Yeo-rin, too, made the same effort on days her classes ended earlier than his._

_Then came mid-terms, and they stopped visiting each other’s schools due to busy exams preparation schedules. Even their weekly dates on the weekends were put on hold. Yeo-rin missed her boyfriend’s presence, but she knew it was something they both had to endure._

_The day of her last paper came, and when the final bell rung to signal the end of the exams, Yeo-rin couldn’t hide her excitement of finally getting to see Taekwoon after so long. His exams had ended the day before, and she knew he was there outside the gates, waiting for her. She was sweeping her belongings into her bag when someone called her._

_“Choi Yeo-rin!”_

_“Oh, hello, Junseo sunbae.”_

_It was the extremely nice third-year senior from the same major, who had offered to share his notes to the freshmen and had been a great help to their preparations for the exams._

_“So how did it go? I hoped my notes helped.”_

_Yeo-rin smiled and nodded, “they helped a lot. Thank you, sunbae.”_

_“That’s good to hear. Hey, we’re going for a celebration,” Junseo gestured to their mutual group of friends, “you wanna come along?”_

_“Ah, I can’t…my boyfriend is waiting for me.”_

_The senior nodded in understanding, “got it. Better not keep him waiting then.”_

_The group of friends left the exam hall together, and while she was engaged in an animated conversation with one of her friends, Yeo-rin missed her footing while going down the stairs. Junseo, who was right next to her, caught her by the waist just in time. She didn’t have the chance to thank him, because Junseo was suddenly thrown to the ground and people were screaming._

_A familiar figure stepped into Yeo-rin’s line of vision, going straight for Junseo and grabbing him by the shirt collar._

_“Taekwoon! What are you doing?!” Yeo-rin ran forward and grabbed her boyfriend’s arm to stop him._

_“He was touching you!” Taekwoon spat and let his fist fly towards Junseo’s face again._

_“No! He saved me from falling down the stairs!” she used all her might to pry his hands off the injured male, “sunbae, I’m so sorry! I’m really very sorry!”_

_Yeo-rin was surprised she managed to drag Taekwoon away from the scene, but maybe it was because she was also boiling with anger at his reckless actions._

_“Seriously, Taekwoon?! What were you thinking?!”_

_“You know I hate seeing other guys around you! And that bastard had the audacity to put his arms around you!”_

_“I almost fell, and he caught me, that’s all! Never mind that you don’t want to thank him for saving my life, but you punched him?!”_

_“Oh, so you’re taking his side now?”_

_“I’m not—” Yeo-rin sighed, “you know what? I can’t do this right now.”_

_She wiped the angry tears that had spilled and walked away from Taekwoon. It wasn’t the first time they had fought over this matter, but it was the first time Yeo-rin had seen Taekwoon use violence against anyone._

_“Rin! Yeo-rin! Yah! Choi Yeo-rin!” he caught her hand, forcing her to stop walking._

_“I know exactly what you don’t like, Taekwoon, and even though I don’t agree with your actions, I let you have your way because I cherish you that much. It didn’t affect us much when we were in high school because we were always together. But it’s different now, Taekwoon. I don’t have you here by my side all the time, I don’t have Hye-jeong, either. Can’t I have friends? Am I supposed to be a loner? Is that really what you want me to do?”_

_“So you’re saying it’s my fault?”_

_“I never—forget it,” Yeo-rin pulled her hand free, “I can’t do this anymore.”_

_“What do you mean?” Taekwoon asked, “are you breaking up with me?”_

_She couldn’t look him in the eyes._

_“Maybe that’s what’s best for us.”_

_And just like how she left him standing there when she initially rejected his confession, Yeo-rin walked away from Taekwoon once again. Only this time, he didn’t chase after her, he didn’t call, he didn’t come knocking on her apartment’s door, nor did he show up at her school. It was truly over._

****

“Hey, I heard you guys were seeing each other even after we graduated high school?”

“Really? Wow. How long did it last?”

“Guys—” Hye-jeong tried to intervene.

Yeo-rin stood abruptly, “sorry, I have to go.”

She ignored Hye-jeong and their ex-schoolmates calling after her and bolted out of the restaurant. After making it to the basement carpark, Yeo-rin took a minute to calm herself down. She headed towards her car while fishing around her bag for her keys. Yeo-rin then remembered Hye-jeong had been to one to drive and the keys were with her. Just as she was contemplating whether or not to go back to the restaurant, the white Jeep parked beside her car beeped, startling her.

“Get in, I’ll send you home.”

Yeo-rin looked up and found the Jeep’s owner, Taekwoon, there.

“Your keys are with Hye-jeong, isn’t it?”

“I’ll just take a taxi.”

“Rin, please…”

Her heart ached at the nickname. He still remembered.

“Okay.”

The drive was silent. Yeo-rin knew Taekwoon wasn’t sending her home, yet. He didn’t even ask for her address. She didn’t ask where they were going, because she trusted him; she would _always_ trust him. Neither of them moved when Taekwoon pulled into an empty lot in one of the many secluded parks Seoul has to offer.

“How have you been?” he asked.

“Fine, I guess,” she shrugged, “you?”

“Not good.”

Silence.

“Do you know why I came today?”

“Am I supposed to?”

“Because I knew you’d be here. That’s why I came.”

“Taekwoon, don’t…”

“There hasn’t been a day where you don’t appear in my dreams the past 10 years, Rin. I lived in our memories for 10 years, until I finally met you again today…”

“Things ended between us all those years ago, Taekwoon. Why are you saying all these now?”

“No. _You_ walked away from me, Yeo-rin. I never wanted to let you go.”

“But you didn’t hold onto me either, did you?”

“I didn’t. And I regret it to this very day. I was too young, too hot-headed, too stupid. And by the time I realized what an idiot I was, it was too late. You had changed your number, you moved, I searched like a mad man everywhere in your school but you weren’t there anymore. I knew then, that I had really lost you.”

Taekwoon’s words hit Yeo-rin _hard_. All these years she thought she was the only one (still) suffering, she thought he had let her go that easily, as if she didn’t mean anything to him. She thought she was being stupid for holding onto memories of a relationship that barely lasted a year. Even Hye-jeong had tried to talk her into meeting new people and tried to get her to move on. But now Yeo-rin knew that she wasn’t the only one, that Taekwoon, too, had been hurting all along.

The tears she had been holding in since seeing him at the restaurant flowed freely, gradually turning into sorrowful sobs. She felt Taekwoon’s arms wrapping around her shaking body, and she allowed herself to lean into his embrace that she had missed so much.

“I missed you so much,” he whispered, “I missed you so, so much…”

Yeo-rin gripped his shirt as she continued sobbing, letting out all the emotions that she had tried so hard to bury for the past 10 years.

“I’m sorry for being such a stupid jerk. I’m sorry for leaving you behind. I’m sorry for letting you hurt for so long. I’m sorry, Rin. I’m so sorry…”

She shook her head, slowly getting a grip of herself.

“I’m sorry too, Taek. I’m sorry for being irrational. I’m sorry for walking away from you. I’m sorry…” Yeo-rin pulled him in closer.

Taekwoon gently wiped her tears, lifting her face to place small kisses on her forehead and her eyes.

“I love you, Rin. I love you so much. Will you please come back to me?”

Yeo-rin placed her hands over his and leaned in to kiss Taekwoon on the lips.

“I love you too, Taek. More than I can ever express.”

Taekwoon let go of her and opened the door on his side, getting out of the car. Yeo-rin watched as he strode over to her side, pulled open the door and easily lifted her out of the seat, pulling her into his familiar warmth. She wrapped her arms tightly around him too, snuggling as close to him as she could.

The sound of her phone ringing interrupted the reunited couple. Yeo-rin reached for her bag on the seat and fished out her phone; it was Hye-jeong calling.

“Hye-jeong.”

“Where are you?! Why aren’t you at home?! Are you okay?!”

“Relax. I’m fine. I’m…with Taekwoon,” she sneaked a peek at him.

Taekwoon smiled and took her free hand in his, lifting it to press a kiss to the back of her hand.

“What? Did he—no, wait…what’s going on? Don’t tell me you guys…”

Taekwoon leaned in closer, “hi Hye-jeong! You were so hostile towards me just now!”

Yeo-rin playfully elbowed him; she could imagine her friend’s expression right at that moment.

“We decided to get back together, Hye-jeong.”

“Oh my gosh. Are you sure about this, Yeo-rin?”

“I am. It has always been Taekwoon, and it will _always_ be him.”

Yeo-rin didn’t hear what her friend said, for Taekwoon easily plucked the phone out of her hand and swooped in for a kiss so full of passion it literally took her breath away. She returned the kiss with equal passion, desperate to let him know how much she missed him.

Taekwoon pulled away slightly and cupped her face with his large warm hands, his eyes reflecting the exact same emotions as they did when he first confessed to her all those years ago.

“It will _always_ be you too, Rin.”


End file.
